Carrying the Torch
April 10th, 2008I want to comment on a wide variety of domestic political and electoral issues but I was so moved by what I saw on my television yesterday that I simply have to put those off for a moment. The Olympic Torch was to be carried through San Francisco but anti-China, pro-Tibet protesters ended the celebration prematurely with their attempts to blow it out. I must admit that I could not take my eyes off the spectacle, and I give kudos to citizens of the world, from San Francisco to Paris, who made it clear to the Chinese that their censorship and repression does not hold in free states. I thought it was a perfect representation of free expression in a democracy and everything the Chinese fear. It was representative of what democratic leaders must deal with, and do, often effectively because democracy begs questions and self-correction while tyranny fears these processes. There is no doubt in my mind that George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, and everyone before them has been made a better President and a better man for the criticisms they’ve received, warranted and not, civil or virulent, like a writer who becomes stronger with revision or bones strengthening on the mend.
But the beauty of the protests and everything they symbolize begs a question: should the American government boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing? Morally, there is no doubt, but there are other considerations. To some, a boycott is necessary because it will deny the Chinese government the prestige that they desperately crave. To others, such a move would be foolish because the Olympics should transcend politics. I think that we should not protest the Olympic ceremony, however tempted I am to believe that the proper course of action, because I think our appearance can and should be used as a diplomatic tool. Now, I have zero sympathy for the Chinese or their evil government, and I actually think they’re a disturbingly absurd group. For instance, they seriously argue that the Dalai Lama is a man of war! But that aside, I believe that we should attend and later remind them that we are allies, whatever problems we have between one another, to foster the bond between our states and therefore be a boon to peace in the coming years.
I do think we should defend the Tibetans and the Taiwanese and everyone else who is a victim of the Chinese. I just do not believe that we have to do this by humiliating and marginalizing their state. I think a boycott would do that and might have disastrous consequences. If we do boycott, I don’t think it’ll necessarily have the disastrous outcome I fear, but I fear it all the same and I think we might be able to use diplomacy to more effectively coerce the Chinese into not slaughtering people.